Taking to the skies: Annual fly-in for ultralight craft kicks off

GREENLAND — Look, up in the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... a go-kart bolted to a hang glider?

By Matthew Tetrault

seacoastonline.com

By Matthew Tetrault

Posted Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:00 AM

By Matthew Tetrault

Posted Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:00 AM

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Go & Do

The Yankee Ultralight Fly-In runs from 7 a.m. to dusk until July 19. The event features aircraft on display, demonstrations, and flight lessons for both children and adults. For more information, ...

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Go & Do

The Yankee Ultralight Fly-In runs from 7 a.m. to dusk until July 19. The event features aircraft on display, demonstrations, and flight lessons for both children and adults. For more information, see home.comcast.net/~hetcon or call 603-479-3788.

GREENLAND — Look, up in the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... a go-kart bolted to a hang glider?

It's actually an ultralight — a small, one-person aircraft weighing no more than 254 pounds — and they'll be a common sight in skies above the Seacoast this week. Dozens of the tiny craft will be in and out of Sanderson's Field for the Yankee Ultralight Flyers Club's annual fly-in and camp-in.

For one week each year, Sanderson's Field acts as both an airstrip and campground for pilots from around the country. Beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at dusk, pilots take joyrides, compete in simulated bomb drops and landing competitions, and talk shop with other aviation enthusiasts. The fly-in is also open to other small aircraft including gyrocopters — small helocopter/ultralight hybrids — and sport aircraft, which are slightly heavier and faster than ultralights.

"It's about camaraderie, seeing old friends with similar interests and having fun," says Paul Gibney, a regular at the fly-in.

Flight demonstrations are open to the public, and the fly-in also features aircraft on display, introductory lessons for adults for $50 and free flights for kids ages 8 to 17.

"The kids' flights are some of my favorites," said club president Bill Beauvais. "Taking them up and watching how much fun they have makes you see flying through their eyes all over again."

Beauvais said other than an investment in time, the hobby is easy to pick up. While no license is required to fly an ultralight, lessons are recommended. A bare bones model costs about as much as a high-end motorcycle, and most aircraft are surprisingly fuel-efficient. Larger ultralight engines burn about four gallons of fuel per hour and some only one gallon per hour.